Track for tracklaying vehicles



Dec. ll, 1934. H. A. KNOX Er AL TRACK FOR TRACKLAYING VEHICLES Filed F'eb. 6, 19:53

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Att nrw-layl$ Patented- Dec. 11, 1934 f v UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE TRACK FOR TBACKLAYING VEHICLES Harry A. Knox, Davenport, Iowa,.and Charles Hiller, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.

Application February 6, 1933, Serial No. 655,444 i claim. (ci. sos-io) (Granted under the act Aof March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928: 3'70 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manur teeth 11 in the metal tubes 8. By virtue of factured and used by or for the Goverment for this arrangement the link pin B is held against governmental purposes, without the payment -to free rotational movement when either one of the us of any royalty thereon. adjoining shoes is flexed. For example in Fig. 5 This invention relates i to a track for track- 1, if the shoe A on the right side is to be moved 5 laying vehicles. so as to assume an angular position relative to The purpose of the invention is to provide a the shoe on the left side, the link pin B would light strong track in which thel metal parts of also be rotated unless it is held and the rubber the joints are not subject to wear. This is accomsleeve 9 in the end bearings 6 would act merely 10 plished by providing rubber bushings in all of to transmit the angular displacement of the shoe 10 the bearings. to the link pin. However, when the link pin A further object of the invention is to reduce is held the angular movement of the right shoe the wear on the rubber bushings by insuring can only occur through the distortion of the cooperation between all of the bushings of the rubber sleeves in the bearings 6, which, functionadjoining shoes and by having the bushings of ing in this manner, are capable of permitting 15 adjoining shoes act in opposite directions to disan angular movement of 25 degrees. tribute the load and restrict the distortion to In the present instance the pin B is not one-half of the angle of ection. rigidly held against rotation but rather it is re- Another object is to provide a novel link pin sistantly held a'gainstrotation through the acy assembly whereby the link pin may be readily tion of the rubber sleeve in the central bear- 20 inserted and removed and may hold the adjoin- 'ing 7. Consequently when either the right or ing shoes in any of a large number of predethe left shoe of Fig. 1 is flexed the rubber sleeves termined angular positions. in both the bearings 6 and 7 cooperate in yield- To these and other ends, the invention coningly resisting the flexing. And more than this,

sists in the construction, arrangement and comthe distortion of the rubber in the bearings 6 25 bination of elements described hereinafter and and 'Z will be divided, thereby distributing the pointedA out in the claims forming a part of load equally and restricting the distortion to 6h15 SPeClCatiOn. one-half the angle of ection. As a. result th'e A A practical embodiment of the invention is life of the rubber-will be greatly increased over lllllstlted in the accompanying drawing, the condition where the rubber must distort the 30 wheem: Y full amount of the angle of llection.

Fig. 1is a plan view partly in section of a A further advantage attributable tothe serportion of'the lower flight of the improved track. rated link pins B resides in the ability to as- Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation and partly semble the link at any predetermined angle dein Semm 0f Fig- 1- pending on the size of the vsprocket or driving a5 l The track comprises a series of grousers or Wheel around which the track must pass The y .sh'eieubdi fnninn'wnadjustment may be readily-made by femm sists of a body 5 having spaced bearings 6-6 the pm'B movmg the adwmmg shoes mm vthe desired angular relation, and then reinsert- 40 on one end and asmgle centrally located bearing in the link in The outer surface of the link 40 '1 onlthe opposite end whose width is preferably pngl and thepim'ler. surface of the metal tubesequa to the total width of the bearings 6. When 8 are preferably plated to prevent cohosion and *i .I

two shoes are assembled end to end thesingle bearing 7 of one shoe s adapted to t between facilitate insertion and removal of the link pin.

the spaced bearings 6 of the-other shoe.

Within each of the bearingsis a bushing conhof cotter pins 12 inserted through apertures 13 sisting of an inner metal tube 8 and an outer in u?? @pome ends' ofthe Pini-'i A Washer 1 4 iS 'rubber sleeve 9 vulcanized to the metal tube. applied t0 the outer face of the end bushmgs The bushing is inserted in the bearing by comal'ld is hld in Place by the wmf Pins- The pin is conveniently held in place by means 45 pressing the rubber sleeve anditistherebyiirmiy The central bearing '1 is' Drvided with ajls 50 he1dinp1ace 15 adapted to engage a'restraining surface 16 The link pin B passes through the aligned bearformed on the body 5 of an adjoining shoe. The

ings 6 and 'i of adjoining shoes. The pin is purpose is-to limit th'e relative angular displaceprovided along its entirelength with sei-rations ments of adjoining shoes and thereby to prevent or teeth 10 intel-engaging with similar seri-ations undue distortion of the rubber sleeves.

2 Lsasli While the shoes are shown as having a pair ing of an internally serrated tube and a rubber of bearings on one end and a single bearing on sleeve vulcanized to the tube, said bushing inthe other end, it is to be understood that any serted in a bearing by'compressing the rubber number yoi alternately arranged intertting bearsleeve, a link pin inserted axially through aligned i ings may be used. bushings for coupling adjoining shoes, and ser- 5 We claim: y rations on the link pin engageable with the in- In a track for track-laying vehicles, a series ternally serrated tubes of the bushings for mainoi shoes, each shoe comprising a body having taining selectively predetermined angular posiv alternately arranged undivided bearings on options of assembly of the shoes. 10 posite ends, the bearings of adjoining shoes being HARRY A. KNOX. 10

intertting, a bushing for each bearing consist CHARLES HILLER, JR, 

